Thank you Kluge Interactive for providing us with a code for the Ultimate edition!

We have had the pleasure of playing Synth Riders VR in Virtual Reality on PC and multiple DLC packs for it. While there is no story, the gameplay is fun and the music is always top-notch. The Switch version borrows many tracks, visuals, and even sound effects from the VR title. A basic campaign story has been added, the base soundtrack is good, and multiple DLC packs are shared between both games. Despite the name being the same, the VR version and the Switch version are two completely different games.

The Switch version of Synth Riders is broken down into three modes: Solo, Campaign, and Multiplayer. If you just want to pick up and play or enjoy DLC, Solo mode is where you’ll want to go. Multiplayer mode lets you play any song as well, and supports up to four players locally.

The Campaign mode takes place in a cyberpunk future with an overseer AI Xander oppressing everyone. A couple of young hackers and their robot friend seek to overthrow Xander. You can follow their journey through five acts and twenty-four songs.

There’s a wide variety of song genres including techno, synth, swing, pop, and rock. The Ultimate version includes the following DLC packs: Electro Swing Essentials, Lady Gaga Music Pack, Gorillaz Music Pack, Current Waves, 80s Mix Tape Side B, Monstercat Music Pack, and Synth Waves Essentials 1-3.

When it comes to gameplay, there are two tutorials available, and I highly recommend completing both of them. Like the VR version, your left hand handles the blue notes and the right hand takes care of the pink ones. The notes are not always on correlating sides, especially as the difficulty ramps up! There are three difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, and Hard).

The colored song notes can appear on the ground, side, or above the player. Your goal is to tap the notes in time with the music. Depending on how accurate you are, you’ll be scored with a good, perfect, or miss. The number of successful attempts are calculated, and if there is a combo greater than fifty, the score multiplier will increase.

Along with notes, you’ll have to dodge various walls by leaning in the opposite direction. There are some parts where you’ll have to jump over obstacles or grind along rails in the sky. There are some free roaming sections where walls will drop towards the player from all directions.

When selecting a song, you’ll see the BPM, tempo, and how many notes and walls you’ll have to contend with. Your best score and number of attempts are visible, too. You can set the song to a practice mode or add a no fail mode if you’re struggling to complete it.

Visually, Synth Riders looks good on the Switch when playing on the small screen. During my stream, I had my Switch 2 docked, and the up-scaled visuals were very jagged during the song sequences, but looked great for the cut scenes.

The appropriateness of Synth Riders depends on how much of the DLC you own. Some of the songs have language in them (*ss). Others have alcohol references. A few of the songs talk about love or reference sex outside of marriage.

The campaign mode can be completed in a few hours or less. However, there is a lot of replay-ability with the different difficulty levels and DLC packs. You can also earn in-game currency while playing songs, and with the funds you can unlock different outfits and accessories for the characters to wear. The asking price is $29.99, and that’s a reasonable price to pay if you enjoy the VR version of Synth Riders or enjoy rhythm games in general.